“No. I never asked and she never offered. I had known for some time that her marriage was rocky, and there was a mention about meeting someone else. I never got into the details with her. When the news broke and the media aimed their sights on her, I told her I would always be her friend and that I knew she would never do what she was accused of. I knew it in my heart. I still know it today.”

“How about leading up to 9/11? Did you talk with her then?”

Natalie shook her head. “Not for the couple of weeks before. Then, it was a crazy time for me. I was an ER doctor in the city and on 9/11, and for most of that week, it was all hands on deck. It’s still just a big blur to me. I didn’t find out about Victoria for a couple of days. I was working around the clock and when I finally had a chance to catch my breath, I took inventory of everyone I knew in the city. When I couldn’t get in touch with Victoria, I finally reached out to Emma and she told me the news.”

“How did you hear about Victoria’s remains being identified?”

“In the paper. I called Emma right away, and she filled me in on the details.”

Avery checked her notes—a page of scribbled bullet points.

“Would it be too much to ask you to write a chronology of your relationship with Victoria? From meeting in college and beyond?”

“I could do that, sure.”

“Great. I’ll be in New York for at least another week, but maybe longer depending on what I need. Can I get in touch with you in a few days?”

“Of course. I’ll give you my cell. And I’ll start working on my history with Victoria right away. It’ll be a good exercise for me to remember all the great times we had together.”

Avery stood up. “Thanks so much, Natalie. I want to do this correctly. I know there will be some difficult parts to Victoria’s story, but I want to show America who this woman was before she was accused of murder. The information you provide will go a long way to making that happen.”

They said their good-byes and Avery stepped into the elevator.

“Let me know how you like the rest of Baggage,” Natalie said before the doors closed.

“I’ll be up all night finishing it.”